Crowd at NYC's ex-Occupy camp dwindles at daylight

Adam Farooqui holds a sign as he stands at Zuccotti Park, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012 in New York. About 20 Occupy Wall Street protesters spent the night at New York City’s Zuccotti Park after metal barricades surrounding it came down Tuesday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
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Adam Farooqui holds a sign as he stands at Zuccotti Park, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012 in New York. About 20 Occupy Wall Street protesters spent the night at New York City’s Zuccotti Park after metal barricades surrounding it came down Tuesday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
/ AP

CORRECTS YEAR - Security from Brookfield Properties, the owners of Zuccotti Park, watch as Occupy Wall Street protesters gather in the park, Tuesday, Jan.10, 2012, in New York. Barricades were removed by the owners allowing access into the park by the protesters on Tuesday. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)— AP

CORRECTS YEAR - Security from Brookfield Properties, the owners of Zuccotti Park, watch as Occupy Wall Street protesters gather in the park, Tuesday, Jan.10, 2012, in New York. Barricades were removed by the owners allowing access into the park by the protesters on Tuesday. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)
/ AP

Felix Rivera-Pitre, left, Ned Merrill, center, and Robert Segal try to stay warm after spending the night at Zuccotti Park, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012 in New York. About 20 Occupy Wall Street protesters spent the night at New York City’s Zuccotti Park after metal barricades surrounding it came down Tuesday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)— AP

NEW YORK 
A handful of protesters did their best to occupy New York City's Zuccotti Park on Wednesday, a day after metal barricades surrounding it came down.

"We need to have a symbolic presence," said Ned Merrill, 52, a blanket draped over his shoulder.

He spoke as workers for Brookfield Office Properties, which owns the plaza, maneuvered around the scattered protesters with steam cleaners. The barricades that came down Tuesday were chained together and neatly stacked at the north end of the park.

On Tuesday, about 300 protesters filled Zuccotti after the barricades were taken down, but the crowd soon dwindled.

Merrill said it's important for at least a few protesters to be at Zuccotti at all times. He said he's been there from midnight to about 10 a.m. most nights since Dec. 1.

"Most people in American know that something is wrong," he said. "Much of what is wrong is that money owns the political process."

Robert Segal, who is 47 and works in a wine store, also spent Tuesday night at Zuccotti.

"The rest of the world want a place where they can come down and join Occupy Wall Street at critical moments," he said.

Tents and sleeping bags have been banned from Zuccotti Park since a Nov. 15 police raid evicted protesters who had been sleeping there since Sept. 17.

Merrill said security guards have prevented him from sitting on a piece of plastic foam when he spends the night there. They told him it was considered bedding, he said.

On Monday, civil rights groups filed a complaint with the city's buildings department saying the barricades were a violation of city zoning law.

Police spokesman Paul Browne said Wednesday that the decision to remove the barriers was unrelated to the complaint. Following an assessment last week, the NYPD "determined they weren't needed" to enforce rules barring makeshift structures, Browne said.

The granite plaza a few blocks from the New York Stock Exchange is a privately owned public park. It is required to be open 24 hours.

Also Wednesday, the city's police watchdog group said that it is investigating misconduct complaints made by Occupy protesters.